Nelson Cheese Factory

A must stop when visiting the area. Make sure you treat yourself to a hand dipped hard ice cream cone. They have a great selection of cheese from around Wisconsin and select cheeses from around the world. Plus the cheese curds are so fresh they squeak, a true Wisconsin treat.

The place looked really great from the outside and maybe even better once we walked in. They had a very attractive lunch menu, but we had lunch plans elsewhere, which was a bummer.
So we really just went for the cheese. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really a «cheese factory» at all. They even told us they don’t make cheese anymore. I guess they just use other cheesemakers’ cheese and put their label on it. We got some cheese curds, which were very average at best. They were so salty, even too salty for this saltmonger. I also tried the garlic cheese curds, which were just the plain ones tossed in garlic powder. Not impressed.
The service was rather unfriendly. I told the lady at the counter that the bags of curds were nearly impossible to open, cause they were tied in tight knots (which seemed pretty idiotic) and the lady said they have to tie them like that so people won’t open them and take some out while they’re shopping. Pretty bizarre. She wasn’t apologetic.
If you’re a tourist like me and looking for some good cheese, I don’t think this is the place for you. But the lunch menu looked really good, so I am giving an extra star just cause I’m optimistic like that.

Nice place for lunch. Cheese, wine, other items available for purchase too. Very pleasant atmosphere. We were there on a weekday, is probably quite busy on nice weather weekends.

My favorite spot in Nelson! Love the atmosphere and selection. The fresh cheese and assortment of quality goods are awesome. I love to stop by after work for a glass of wine and cheese board — can’t beat the wine selection! Even better in the winter time with the fire is going. Stop by and check them out!

Clean and always friendly. I love this place sometime you need to try a sandwich they are amazing. The ice cream is great and the shop is so fun to get specialty cheeses and meats at.

We’ve driven past Nelson’s several times on the Harley, but have never been able to stop. Finally, it was just us out riding and we were able to pull over on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
Now, first of all, the air around this place smells like heaven. It smells like ice cream and waffle cones! (But they don’t actually have waffle cones.) We actually drove past, but I was pestering the boyfriend enough that we were able to turn around and go back. It was the smells, yo. The smells coming from that place… SWOON.
The inside is huge! I wasn’t expecting that at ALL. The inside has bottles of wine, seating, and cheeses/​ice cream/​specialty items. It’s sorta confusing because the outside of Nelson’s says «creamery» but I guess it’s mostly a wine bar and cheese factory? I dunno.
We cruised around and checked out the cheeses, but we were just browsing. We were in for the ice cream. I was pretty disappointed to see this place only offered 6 different flavors of ice cream at a time. I have a nut allergy, and there were maybe 3? that I couldn’t have due to that. The scoops are extremely affordable! $ 1 for a kiddie scoop, $ 2 for a single, $ 3 for a double and $ 4 for a triple. We just got single scoops.
I had the french silk. The ice cream was insanely delicious. Super fresh. I loved it. I didn’t like the large chunks of chocolate in the ice cream, but I do know that a lot of people might enjoy that. I’m just not a fan of large chunks of things in my ice cream.
There’s tons of tables outside over looking the river. It’s a really nice place to stop for a break while on a long drive.

We are native New Yorkers and so, I like to think, we have a pretty high threshold for rude behavior. However, on my first (and last) visit to this very quaint Wisconsin shop, the shop girl was so incredibly rude to my 88-​year-​old father (I know. Aren’t old people annoying?! They move slowly and can’t hear worth a damn!) that even I had to insist we leave without the wine and cheese we’d gone there to purchase for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll just pop over to Surdyks instead – and I suggest VERY strongly that you do the same.

I grew up going to Nelson Cheese Factory in the eighties and early nineties when it was just an old factory with great cheese and ice cream. I’ve got fond memories of summer days sitting outside the factory trying to finish my ice cream before it melted, then sneaking back inside to try cheese samples over and over again. I hope kids today are still getting a chance to do the same.
I haven’t been back as an adult because I now live in California, but I’m giving them 5 stars for customer service alone. I just called to place an order that would normally not go out until Friday, but after explaining a time crunch on my end, the woman I spoke with volunteered to drive the order to the nearest post office (which I believe is the next town over), so it would go out today. I didn’t ask for this. She volunteered. This was for no extra charge– just done out of hospitality. There’s lots to love about living in California, but my-​oh-​my do I miss that kind of kindness back home. Thank you, Nelson Cheese Factory!

My wife and I have been coming to the Nelson Cheese Factory for years — we always called it the «Nelson Creamery» for some reason. We were immediately enamored with what was then a quaint (and still is, just a bit larger) little deli and shop, and a wine bar — a rarity for the La Crosse area at the time (early 2000s).
We have continued to frequent the creamery over the years; often taking road trips from the La Crosse area just to stop here and enjoy the food and drink and purchase some cheese or meats. Our kids now look forward to their pizza and ice cream. We have seen it become much more popular in that time but they have maintained their quality — something that many restaurants fail to do as they grow.
The food is very good. They serve an eclectic array of simple foods that are thoughtfully created with excellent ingredients. Pizzas, sandwiches, and soups are the standards with ice cream for dessert. In the summer months, they serve fresh fried cheese curds in the courtyard next to the parking lot. They occasionally have live music in the courtyard area outside as well.
The wine bar is excellent — my wife and I have found the selection of wines to be excellent (no kids in the bar area though).

Always have to make a stop to Nelson Cheese Factory when I am around. Have to pick up some garlic cheese curds & sometimes a scoop of ice cream.

This little sandwich and cheese shop is straight out of Country Living magazine with a gorgeous country chic dining area, brick patio, and a vast selection of locally-​made cheese.
This is not a typical deli (cold cuts+lettuce, tomato, mayo). Nelson’s serves far more creative sandwiches. We ordered the Spicy Nel (chicken breast smothered in honey mustard and hot pepper jack cheese with lettuce, tomato and jalapenos and toast). Very tasty, but quite spicy. Also ordered the veggie pita (an array of veggies, some marinated, with hummus and feta), which was also good.
As referenced in other posts, the downside was primarily the service. They all seemed very discombobulated, like they lacked any type of process. For this reason, Nelson’s is being denied its fifth star.
Totally worth a stop if you are exploring south along the Mississippi River.

I have been here several times over the years and the food is OK, but the wait times and service are terrible. There isn’t a reason to wait so long for sandwiches. And that’s with very few customers! When it is busy, they cannot cope — you will be sorry you went. The food is not worth the terrible waits and service.

This place has evolved over the years. It’s nothing like it used to be, the prices have went up, but they have expanded the store quite a bit. It’s a pretty atmosphere, and you will leave feeling satisfied.

Went there once and it was obvious that they could care less about service. It was a long time back but I won’t go there again.

Like a good Midwesterner, I enjoy a Wisconsin cheese curd every now and again, but when it comes down to it, let’s face it: A cheese curd is what it is: a squeaky, flavorless, non-​distinctive or stinky, for that matter, curd of cheese. Given Wisconsinites seem content with the curd as their claim to fame and mainstay in the battle between California and Wisconsin cheeses, my vote between the two would sadly have to be in the Cali camp. Thank God Nelson Cheese Factory has some of this available for sale in the retail store and on the menu of the adorable wine and cheese tasting bar adjacent to the store.
Quite to my delight, the gazillion ppl long line was for the ice cream, not seating for the wine tasting. As, when choosing between ice cream and wine, my clear choice is always wine, and the two don’t mix. The wine selection was to my surprise, for this Harley Davidson biker vacation hot spot, very selective and affordable! I’m pretty sure the mark up was a mere dollar or two above retail. I will most definitely take the Wisconsin side again when traveling from my hometown to the Twin Cities, for a chance to stop again at this adorable little treasure trove of a wine/​cheese and ice cream shop in the Beautiful Mississippi River town of Nelson.

This place is beautiful. They serve great sandwiches (my fav is the veggie) and there is a beautiful outdoor seating area. On the weekends in the summer it is always packed with people getting their ice cream fix! yum!
The cheese curds are amazing and I always make a special trip when I make a trip home from Denver. They have a beautiful selection of meats and fine cheese.
They also sell wine and local beers which is killer!

Fresh local cheese and meats. A very extensive selection of sandwiches (which are very good).
We always get the garlic and plain cheese curds and the smoked string cheese.
You can also purchase wine, other foods, they make pizza (which I’ve never tried), and have hard packed ice cream.

This past weekend, I went on a girls’ trip to Wabasha, home of the movie Grumpy Old Men. Wabasha is a small, sleepy town located on the Mississippi River and just a stone’s throw from Nelson, Wisconsin. Nelson may not be a well-​known town, but it is home to The Original Nelson Cheese Factory, also known as the Creamery.
The founders of the Nelson Cheese Factory made cheese and butter for over 100 years. While they no longer make their own cheese, the store sells cheese from Wisconsin and around the world as well as a gourmet selection of food and fine wine. They are best known for their homemade ice cream, and when we stopped by on a Saturday, the line for ice cream went around the store.
The wait was well worth it. The ice cream at Nelson’s was the creamiest I have ever tasted. They only offer a few flavors, and no fancy waffle cones, but this ice cream doesn’t need any embellishments. I ordered the French Silk and it was deliciously smooth with soft vanilla and chocolate swirls of ice cream flecked with rich chocolate chunks. Each bite was a like a taste of heaven. Plus, a scoop only costs one dollar!
The next time you find yourself on the road, make sure to stop by Wabasha and head over the border to the Nelson Cheese Factory for a creamy, homemade scoop of ice cream.

So, the first time I came here, I was probably 14 years old. From 14 to 17, my parents sent me to Minnesota to stay with my cousins for a month or more in the summertime.
Every now and then, the family would pack up to go to Lake Pepin, where they had a sailboat docked. On the way there, we’d stop in Nelson to get some cheeses, and also a scoop or two of their ice cream… it was a treat we always looked forward to!
They had bags of cheese curds, hundreds of different freshly made cheeses, as well as all the goodies to go with the cheeses. It was a fully stocked delicatessen. The ice cream is usually available in about 6 – 8 flavors, but whatever you choose, you can count on it to be very rich and creamy! I like the Pralines & Cream. YUM!
Recently I had to go back for a funeral for my great aunt. She lived to 96 years old. She was a happy and positive woman for as long as I’ve known her, which is to say, my whole life. The visit back was full of love and remembrance of her life. It was also a time for the rest of us relatives to touch base and reconnect. And of course, food was at the center of things, the way they were when my Great Aunt Alida was around. :-)
So if you find yourself on the southeast side of Minnesota, or the southwest side of Wisconsin, you should check out the Nelson Creamery for a scoop ($ 1 each) of their yummy ice cream, or a fresh deli sandwich made to order. And sit out back in the patio area… it’s a nice place to eat and enjoy the company.

There is no sign on this building identifying what it does or sells. At least, there is no sign as we think of signs today. A small, rusty cutout metal silhouette of a wine glass and — what was it? — a triangular slice of cheese, as I recall, is mounted on an outside wall, a wordless sign of the sort that was common in the Middle Ages, before western civilization became literate. In any case, it’s a big building on the west side of Highway 35 in a town that’s about four blocks long, so you cannot miss it. We went there for the ice cream, without realizing that Nelson’s is a cheese factory and cheese shop with a big wine shop and a restaurant. The restaurant’s menu appeared very interesting; unfortunately, we had just eaten, so we cannot rate it.
The Nelson Cheese Factory’s ice cream is highly recommended by locals including some of our relatives. The ice cream is good but that doesn’t make it special, that just makes it ice cream. What makes it great is the price: $ 1.00 per scoop. Get yours before the owners discover which century they are living in.